When Coach Steve Curtis got an email from Maïlys Faur asking to join his team as an exchange student, he didn't think it was possible but he was eager to check into it with our academic and compliance offices. "The initial thought was 'she may not be eligible because she's not working towards a degree at Mason and there are all these complex NCAA rules'," said Coach Curtis. "Deputy Athletic Directors Nena Rogers and Malcolm Grace started looking into it because we hadn't had this situation before. But then we figured out that it was possible because she is working towards a degree at her university [in France] so it applied."
 
Faur is an exchange student from Toulouse, France, here for just one year as she finishes her degrees at her home university. She's currently finishing up two degrees, in political science and literature, and will return to France to graduate in May.
 
Her love of tennis started as an accident, confusing badminton and tennis at a young age. "When I was little […] I played a lot of badminton with my family in the garden," said Faur. "So when my mom asked if I wanted to play a sport, I said 'yes I want to play tennis' but I meant badminton. I ended up on the tennis courts and I just never quit after that."
 
She played with the same tennis club through high school, but there are no collegiate tennis programs outside of the United States. So when she went to school in Paris, she found a tennis club where she could play casually at but couldn't compete the same way she used to. One of the requirements at her college is a exchange year at another school, so when Faur was picking where she wanted to go, she knew she wanted it to be in the United States so she could play tennis.
 
Faur says her favorite memory this season was their trip to Hilton Head, S.C. for PTR Springfest where they beat Saint Francis University, 4-3: "That was our first big win against a D1 team and so the energy on the court was nice. We were screaming during all the points. That was the point where we really came together as a team."
 
Since joining, Coach Curtis says Faur's been nothing but a positive impact. "She's one of those people that you can't not like. Everyone on the team thinks she's wonderful. She's been a great addition to the team."
 
Faur has paved a new path with her addition to Mason's women's tennis team: never before has there been an exchange student on a varsity team at George Mason. With this new knowledge of the possibilities, Faur's advice to future exchange student-athletes is "try to do it. It was such a great experience, I loved it. If I wasn't on the tennis team, my whole year would have been very different so I'm very grateful. I'm going to miss it so much."
 
"I just want to thank Coach," said Faur. "I'm very happy to be on this team, even if it's just for one year. And to all my teammates who were so welcoming. I have so many good memories and I'm really grateful for everything that happened to me."
 
The women's tennis team will head to Orlando, Fla. for the Atlantic 10 Championship next week to round out their spring season. Good luck, Patriots!